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Top Five U.S. Born Players in Calgary Flames History

By Ramina Shlah

COLOGNE, GERMANY - MAY 08: Johnny Gaudreau of USA celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship game between USA and Sweden at Lanxess Arena on May 8, 2017 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY - MAY 08: Johnny Gaudreau of USA celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship game between USA and Sweden at Lanxess Arena on May 8, 2017 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 29: Ryan Suter
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 29: Ryan Suter /
16 Jan 1998: Defenseman Gary Suter of the United States Olympic Hockey Team poses for a photograph at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver, Canada. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
16 Jan 1998: Defenseman Gary Suter of the United States Olympic Hockey Team poses for a photograph at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver, Canada. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /

2. Gary Suter

Can I just start off by saying how much a young Gary Suter looks like his nephew right now, Ryan Suter? I mean, i have a picture in my room of the Calgary Flames 1987-88 roster, and it’s like a spitting image. Look at these pictures here! How is that not the same person who used a time-travelling machine?

Anyways, let’s get on with it.

Suter spent the majority of his NHL career with the Flames (finally a player who did). He was taken at 180th overall in the 1984 NHL draft, which was the ninth round at that time. Funny how things change, that would be the sixth round today.

He spent nine years with the Flames where he racked up 617 goals and 564 points. In his NHL career, he has played 1145 games with 844 goals. He’s 14th in all-time points among defencemen and fourth among American-born defencemen.

In his first NHL season in 1985-86, he had 68 points in 80 games with 141 PIM (wow Tkachuk, looks like you’ve got work to do). That year, he won the Calder trophy as the rookie of the year. That year, the Flames also made it to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in franchise history. They unfortunately lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

But no need to fret because he’ll end up winning the Cup with Calgary in 1989 anyways!

Related Story: Throwback Thursday - Winning the Cup in 1989

He was also a runner-up for the Norris trophy in 1988. He helped Team USA win at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and was also part of the silver medal team at the Olympics in 2002, when he was 38 years old! While he hasn’t been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame yet, he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

And seriously, if you haven’t been googling pictures of young Gary Suter and Ryan Suter now, you need to do it. It’s weird how much they look alike.

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